Health & Wellness

One of my favorite jobs at my school is my role of “Health and Wellness Coordinator.”

Here are a few things I’m proud of:

2010/2011: We had our first annual “Family Fun and Fitness Night.” We have been going strong with one or two of these nights a year for the past 3 years now.

2011/2012: We added our first “Walking School Bus.” Students and parents joined staff to walk to school from “bus stops” around our neighborhoods. We are now up to 2 of these events a year, and many parents talk of these days as reminders of how great it is to start the day with a walk to school. It has reduced traffic in our busy neighborhood and promoted healthy lifestyles.

2012/2013: We added a “May Marathon.” For 2 weeks in May, students clocked minutes of exercise. Every 10 minutes of exercise was equal to a mile. For every five miles exercised, students earned a charm on a necklace. If a student earned 5 charms, they were celebrated as having completed a marathon. Many parents wrote or told stories of how well this initiative worked to remind the whole family of the benefits of exercise.

Planned for 2013/2014: All of the above, with the addition of a teacher file in our school server of websites, apps, and ideas for promoting healthy lifestyles in the school. We would also like to establish a bulletin board for photos of students and staff engaged in healthy habits.